29 Weeks

This week has flown by, so quickly in fact that I almost forgot that I was 29 weeks
pregnant.  Who has time to ponder on such epic events as finally arriving to the third
trimester and reaching the point where I am now peeing every 30 minutes?  Not
me, apparently.  But I promise, dear baby boy, to set aside at least these next 10
minutes to reflect on what a whirlwind week it has been here in my muddled pregnant brain.

I am carrying very low this pregnancy, much more so than I did with the girls.  I can
literally feel the baby shift and squirm and rest his growing body against my aching
round ligaments.  My bladder never feels empty and I am waddling already.  My patients
know that the first thing I am going to ask them when I walk into their houses is, "May I
please use your restroom?".  Thank goodness for Southern hospitality.  Yoga and daily
walks have become my saving grace as stretching out my muscles and aching joints seems
to be the best remedy.  I can't wait to see how big this baby is actually going to be.

I bought myself the pregnancy pillow of all pregnancy pillows this week: the Bump Nest
body pillow.  I grew tired of hearing myself complain about not sleeping well and decided
to splurge a little on something to remedy my uncomfortable sleeping situation.  This
pillow and I: we are soul mates, best friends, life long companions.  This pillow is seriously
a big, comfortable, indulgent nest that I never want to climb out of.  Never mind that it
takes up half of our king size bed and completely excludes my husband from any and all
night time cuddling: I haven't slept this well in months!!  Baby boy and I now climb into
bed, wrap up in the nest, and sleep 100 times better than we did before.  We'll be back to
our regularly scheduled husband/wife cuddling later, babe.  Well, after all the night
time breast feeding and baby rocking and cosleeping, that is.

 

The Year That Changed It All

This week marked the one year anniversary of Shawn's accident: an event that was 
completely life changing in every way.

After his accident, Shawn had to relearn how to live his life: he had to teach himself to
perform simple, everyday tasks, how to move forward with the use of only one hand.
He sustained very severe nerve damage, the extent of which we are still uncertain.
Nerve regeneration is an extremely slow and arduous process and every one of
Shawn's doctors advised us to be patient: his recovery would take years and he would
more than likely never regain complete use of his left hand.

Because the slow process of his recovery could feel frustrating, because he sometimes felt
like he wasn't getting anywhere despite all of his hard work, we started capturing little
videos of his progress.  We grabbed our Iphones, our camera, our computer, whatever
was handy and we filmed each and every little milestone.  We cheered when he learned to
tie his shoes again, folded his own shirt, lugged full trash cans with one arm and picked up
our little girls.  We documented each and every hurdle that this amazing man jumped
through, each week bringing bigger and better things.

And now, one year later, he stands before us stronger, more determined, completely
inspiring and full of life.  He was given a second chance at life and he took it and ran with it.
He beat the odds, not by chance or good fortune but through hard work and perseverance.  
It wasn't easy and we were not without struggle.  We experienced every emotion,
felt powerless, hopeless, and full of despair.  We questioned our future and if we could
weather this particularly gruesome storm.  When a person loses who they are, when
every single part of their soul is stripped and they feel as though they would have been
better off dead, it is heart wrenching.  I had to accept that there was nothing I could do but
just be there: I couldn't fix him, I couldn't give him all the answers.  All I could offer was
my shoulder to lean on, my time and my heart.  Just my support and love had to be
enough.  And now, looking back, I see that he felt the same way.  He couldn't be the man to
me that he once was, he had to redefine himself and the ways in which he fulfilled the
various roles in his life.  But he was there for me, he was present, he showed me that he
wasn't going to give up.  And all that hard work and love and effort was enough.  It was all
I ever needed.

He once told me, "Everyone has always looked at me as a positive person, full of faith and
not afraid of anything.  Now, they get to see me live that.  They get to see that attitude
in action".  His outlook on life is one of the millions of reasons why I love him.  I still
think about that day in the desert, I'm not sure that I will ever forget it.  I thank God
every single day for sparing my soul one's life, for allowing me this time with him, for giving
us this second chance.  We are so blessed to know this kind of love and we do not take that
for granted.  Not ever.  Life is precious and, when lived with the knowledge that it can in fact
be taken from you at any given moment, it is beautiful.  Here's to second chances, to
starting over, and to making the most of each and every experience.

28 Weeks

I feel like the heat and humidity of summer really kicked in this week, leaving my
pregnant body hot and weary.  With Belle out of school, both girls are spending most of
their days home with Shawn this summer.  This means that I can wake up for work and
leave right away while everyone is still in bed, no little ones to get ready in the morning.
I've been using this luxury to its full advantage by getting started with my work day
super early: 7 am most days.  These early starts mean that I can make it home around 1
pm, before the heat of the day gets too overwhelming.  Most of my sweet little patients are
of the age where air conditioning is not a necessity despite the 90 degree Louisiana heat.
My hormones are left in an outrage as I sweat through my day, traveling from house to
house, smiling despite the fact that my uniform is soaked through and through.  No one
said being pregnant through the summer would be easy.

The consolation prize: I get home early and we all spend the afternoon in the swimming pool.
I float in the water with a big glass of tea while my growing baby kicks and squirms under
my meant-for-family-members'-eyes-only bikini.  I am so thankful to have these long
summer days together before little brother gets here: to rest and bond and enjoy this slow
time before things pick up in the fall.  

I've been eating great but sleeping terribly.  My appetite is not as ferocious as it was for
the first half of pregnancy and I crave cucumbers and cantaloupe on the daily.  I wake up
4-5 times a night and have been getting terrible leg cramps that wake both Shawn and I
up nightly.  He says he doesn't remember me having so much trouble sleeping when I
was pregnant for the girls, I say I'm too tired to remember that far back.  We both say that
this little boy is a night owl and these restless nights are just in preparation of what's to
come when he gets here.  But the infant stage, it is so short and fleeting in hindsight.  Who
cares about losing a little sleep when you have that snuggly little love all curled up by your side?

 

What To Do With All Those Veggies

Remember our humble little raised bed garden we built and planted this spring?  Well,
who knew that such a small area could produce so much?!  Our garden, thanks in large part
to our productive native soil and the amazing weather and sunshine here in Louisiana,
is literally overflowing with veggies.  I have been giving away green goodies to all
my neighbors, stocking up our freezer, and cooking up a storm with this overabundance
of squash, zucchini, eggplant, cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes.  Not a bad deal, right?
I've been Pinteresting my little heart out and collecting tons of recipes to try and my family
is reaping the benefits.  Today, I'm sharing two super easy recipes that were a big hit and
made great use of a productive week in the garden.

What to do with all those cucumbers:

Bread and butter pickles

Bianca shared this recipe with me and it is amazing!  We have been picking 10-12
cucumbers out of our garden daily and this pickle recipe was the perfect way to utilize
them all.  Plus, I'm pregnant.  And anything with the word "pickle" in it sounds appetizing.  

Here's what you'll need:

5 1/2 cups thinly sliced pickling cucumbers (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 cup thinly sliced onion 
1 cup sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
1/8 teaspoon turmeric
I also added two banana peppers, sliced and 1 cayenne pepper, sliced for some added Louisiana style flavor

1.  Thinly slice cucumbers.

2. Combine cucumbers and salt in a large bowl, cover, refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours.

3. Remove cucumbers from fridge, rinse with cold water, drain, return to bowl, add onion 
and peppers, return to fridge.

4. Combine remaining ingredients in a medium sized pot on the stove.  Simmer over 
medium heat, stir often to allow sugar to dissolve.  Once sugar is dissolved, remove 
mixture from heat and pour over cucumbers in bowl.

5.  Allow cucumbers and vinegar mixture to cool at room temperature for about an 
hour.  Cover and return to refrigerator for 24 hours.  After 24 hours, serve your 
delicious pickles with any dish you wish!  This dish may be stored in an airtight container 
in your fridge for up to 2 weeks.  I used mason jars to store mine and they look so pretty 
and appetizing in my fridge!  Enjoy!

What to do with all those squash and zucchinni:

Baked squash and zucchini parmesean

A coworker shared this recipe with me and we have literally eaten it every night this week.
It is so simple and packed with flavor!

Here's what you'll need:

1 pound of squash or zucchini or both
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 Parmesan cheese

1.  Slice squash and zucchini into thin slices, place in a foil lined pan, coat with olive oil.

2.  Mix bread crumbs and Parmesean cheese in a separate bowl. Sprinkle mixture over 
veggies, covering them as much as possible.

3.  Place pan of veggies in oven, bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes or until 
golden brown.

4.  Sprinkle with a little cheddar/Monterrey Jack cheese mixture right before pulling pan 
out of oven, allowing cheese to melt on top of veggies.  Serve right away for maximum 
flavor!  

5.  Attempt to take a finished product photo for your blog before your children devour 
your  dish.  Fail miserably.  Take it as a compliment.  Be thankful your kids eat their 
veggies.  The end.

Dancing and Praise

This weekend was Isabelle's 6th dance recital, a chance for us to sit back and witness all of 
the hard work our little girl has put into her talent this year.  She performed a classical 
ballet piece and a tap routine and we could not have been more proud.  Isabelle loves 
to perform, she is completely calm and cool under pressure and you can tell while 
watching her how much she truly loves being on that stage.  Brees was mesmerized as 
she watched her big sister up on stage.  She waved and called out to her from the 
audience, "Sissy!!  Sissy!!", Isabelle's own personal cheering squad.  She earned a new 
trophy to add to her growing collection and a ton of compliments and well wishes from 
her teacher and peers.  I only cried a little bit, wiping my proud mama tears away as my 
little girl twirled and pranced around the stage, her technique much improved since last 
year.  She was awesome, in every single way, and I just love her so.  

After recital, we made our way over to my cousin's high school graduation party: a 
gathering of our big family on the back porch with tons of food, good dancing music, and 
the best company you could hope for on a Saturday night.  We danced and danced, took 
turns swinging kids, and ate to our hearts' content.  The little cousins entertained each 
other for hours and I stole away for a few slow dances with my husband.  By the time we 
got home, it was almost midnight and we were all delirious.  So many milestones take place 
this time of year: graduations and weddings and showers and ceremonies.  It's a time of 
year that feels full of possibility, new beginnings, farewells and welcome homes.  It's a time 
to reflect on the power of hard work and dedication and to come together with the ones 
you love to say job well done.  And this family, well, we love any excuse to get together 
and celebrate the ones we love!

 

27 Weeks

I went into nesting overdrive this week.  Throughout this pregnancy, I've been telling
myself that we wouldn't worry about decorating the nursery until much later down the
road.  The baby will be with Shawn and I for quite a while and so I didn't see any point
in spending all of the time, money, and energy in decorating now.  We would wait until
later before fully committing to switching the girls and all of their belongings around.
And then I woke up in a cold sweat on Sunday night: what was I thinking?!!  I'm not that
kind of person!!  I'm not relaxed and go with the flow when it comes to anything involving
life changing events!!  We've got to get ready for this baby: NOW!

And so I spent the rest of the week rearranging furniture, cleaning out closets,
Pinteresting away (I sincerely apologize to all of you who follow me on Pinterest for
clogging up your feeds this week with baby decor), and ordering new bedding and art
work.  We have decided, after much discussion and debate, that the two little kids will share
a room and Isabelle will keep her own room.  We originally thought of putting the two
girls together but, with their 6 year age difference, realized this would be a drama filled
reality in the near future.  Instead, we will de-feminize Brees' room quite a bit and make it
a gender neutral nursery space with a circus theme.  We will keep the wall color as it is
now: pale yellow.  I've ordered bedding for little man's crib and new curtains.  I've found
art work to put up on the currently butterfly and flowery themed walls and I am so excited
to start putting this vision into action.  And with all of these decisions made and
packages arriving on the doorstep, I find myself getting more and more excited.

I have felt really great this week, with the exception of some round ligament pain.  I find
my appetite decreasing as my belly size increases.  Thanks to our luscious backyard garden,
I am filling up on cucumbers and squash to my heart's content.  It was a good week, a busy
one.  Here's to nesting and all of the insanity that comes along with it! 

 

Life Lately

Life lately in bullet point format:

• This weekend is Isabelle's 6th annual dance recital.  She called me at work today and said, "Hey Mom, I'm making a list of everything I need to pack for rehearsal tonight.  I think I have it all under control, I just need you to stop and pick up some bobby pins, okay?".  My heart literally almost burst with pride: A. Because she made a list and B. Because she is such a pro at this stuff, so confident, so professional.  I can not wait to watch her on that stage.
• Shawn and I somehow managed to get both kids in bed by 7 pm last night (they were both exhausted from swimming all afternoon).  We took advantage of the free night to ourselves and watched "Django Unchained" and ate a lot of ice cream.  I loved the movie, it was classic Quentin Tarantino: dark humor, just enough gore, amazingly developed characters, and one liners for days.  And I somehow managed to stay awake through the whole thing: a legit miracle these days.
• Our garden is bursting with produce right now, so much so that I've been spreading it around to friends and family and storing things away in the freezer for later.  Every single one of my expectations for the benefits of a raised bed garden have been unbelievably exceeded.  We are learning so many lessons along the way and have already decided on a few things we will do differently next year, like expand and create several different beds for instance.  But it has been such a fun year of gardening and I look forward to piddling amongst my plants every night.
• Speaking of gardening: this is such an informative blog: http://gmo-awareness.com/
• It's the start of summer and everyone is super into fitness right now, bikini season and all.  I have friends doing boot camp classes, CrossFit, vertical barre.  I must admit: I am jealous.  I am still exercising as much as my pregnant body will let me but I am so excited to hit the gym REALLY hard without the limitations of pregnancy.  Swimming is my saving grace right now: I try to get into the water as much as possible and just move the whole time.  Feeling weightless, getting sun, and burning calories all at the same time.  On that note, it's time to head into the kitchen for a snack...
  
  
  
  I stole this photo from Ashley: Brees on the boat, cracking a smile after I let her sip on
  my coveted cream soda.  That little smirk makes up for any grumpy toddler 
  behavior displayed before said soda drinking.